Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-26
The Siberian SkOpxi.
A STRANGE COMMUNITY OF FANATICS TO BIZ FOUND
NHAR YAKUTSK.


Letter in st. Louis Globe Democrat.
Tea miles from Yakutsk 10 one OF the most In
oeresting colonies Of that most remarkable sect az
religious fanatics who renounce the joys Of life,
In whose homes the cry Of a babe II never heard,
whose brothers and sisters do not provide for
descendants in this world The village Is called
Marshka and the community numbers one hun
twenty-four women. paid visit TO their village
and found 1t remarkable for It's order and cleanll-
ness. All around were nelds carefully fenced In
with rails and In the village itself two wind
mills, evidences OF an industrious farming popula-
d mot on the Lena Enter
the greatest neatness and order prevail, not
an implement or sled that has not been
Enter the house and you are at once surprised
with the order and cleanliness and comfort that
prevail. The Skopzi themselves are as kindly and
gentle in their ways as girls They neither drink
Intoxicating liquors nor smoke tobacco, nor eat
meat Their voices are not SO effeminate as i'm
en IN tome from nas Of the Srnsry run Of
Russian peasant youth. 1t seemed, indeed, as II
they had retained the voice they possessed in early
youth at the time when they were received into
the sect. or the women, I only caught glimpse
Of two before they went out Of sight. The sisters"
as they called, did not show themselves in the
houses. They seem TO be as carefully shielded
from the vulgar gaze as are the hours OF Turkish
harem. Those that caught sight OF were young
view.
OF children, Of course, ! saw none. From my
notes. written at the time call the following data
sus who had ~ spent nearly all his lie in ~ GOV
Tchernaien's capital. Most OF the men had joined
the sect at the age OF nineteen or twenty. Why
thus early In life they ren0unced the lusts OF the
world, the flesh, and the devil DR.. Capeo was not
able TO say but he was inclined to think the reason
was frequently from remorse after deOauched
life, and sometimes from the melancholy produced
by disease or abuse. or the actual joys Of life and
love such young Russian peasant at twenty
KNOWS nothing that Is elevatng his life is spent In
an atmosphere that is morally diseased, and he
easily SuccumbS to the persuasion OF members OF
the sect OF other pen1tents like himself undergo
muttlation. A gentleman told me that his COACH
man. who Joined the sect about four years before
my visit, gave the following reasons for his doing
so: With companion he had lived a low and de-
bauehed life for some years, both generally drunk
and both very immoral One day, arter a debauch
selves In condition resembling a recovery from
delirtum tremenS and without kOpeck in their
pockets. Said the other to the coachman: "Come,
let us give up this life and become Skopzi then we
can get some ready money II we toin."
They agreed TO turn SkopZl They made their
request known, and, after an interview with the
elders OF the community, declared their rea Inees
to submit to the ordeal The women Join the sect
probably for the same reasons as the men In some
cases. in others, from the desire to be rid OF the
temptations and the inclination to the world and
It's grlefS quickly and forever. Pltiabe cases are
those OF the younger members OF the sect who
nave been Initiated into the brotherhood or sister,
hood by their fanatical parents or relatives long
before they could understand anything OF the
meaning OF the rites which they were compelled TO
undergo. In such cases the Russian government
lnterferes, taking away the children and looking
rights as Russian citizens given to them, while
their parents or relatives are outlawed or exiled
The sect Is Kept up solely by new converts and
mas increased In numbers since 1853.
a.